Canberrans face the longest average wait in the country for surgery and the ACT continues to lag behind the rest of Australia for recommended emergency department waiting times.
But the territory enjoys some of the shortest waits for ambulances, and babies born in the ACT enjoy the longest life expectancy in the country, according to a major health report card issued by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The Australia’s health 2014 report reveals the ACT has Australia’s longest life expectancy at 81 years for men and 85 years for women. Internationally, Australia has the sixth longest life expectancy for men and seventh for women.
Snapshots of the ACT health system show the territory had the longest median waiting time for elective surgery with 51 days. Nationally, the longest waiting times were for ophthalmology, ear, nose and throat surgery and orthopaedic surgery.